Miami's Coaching Staff - What Now? (2 coaches are gone - 2 coaches added)

[Jim Gray]

At the end of the season, I though we would see a huge number of coaching changes, from the top man on down.  I guess I was expecting a big, dramatic move.  Instead, there has been a trickle of moves.   I'm not even sure where things stand; but here's what I can find right now.  What happened to the report of "coaches packing boxes with personal effects"? So far, only 2 changes; but are there more to come?

I left off some of the assistants.  How about you help me fill out the rest?  Send me what you know and I'll update the table.

Position	2010	2011	Comments
Head Coach	T. Sparano	T. Sparano	given a 2 year extension
Off Coord	D. Henning	B. Daboll	Henning "retired",  Daboll previously the OC for Cleveland
Def Coord	M. Nolan	M. Nolan	rumors that other teams are interested
Special Teams	D. Rizzi	D. Rizzi	took over for fired John Bonamego mid year
Secondary	T. Bowles	T. Bowles
Offensive Line	D. DeGuglielmo	?
Tight Ends	G. DeLeone	D. Campbell	DeLeone Going to UCONN, Campbell was an intern with Miami
Wide Recievers	K. Dorrell	S. Bush	Bush was the quality control coach
Quarterbacks	D. Lee	K. Dorrell	Lee left for Ole Miss, Dorrell moved from his WR coaching position
Defensive Line	K. Rodgers	?
Running Backs	J. Saxon	J. Nixon	Saxon fired, Nixon joins from Philly
Linebackers	B. Sheridan	?
Strengh and Cond	E. Marcus	D. Krein	Marcus leaving for Virginia, Krein comes from Seattle (09)

[fyo]

No one is "safe" unless they are new hires. Anyone else could get an offer of promotion elsewhere and leave. That said:

Bowles is "expected to stay with the Dolphins", but it's not a sure thing (still interested in a defensive coordinator gig, but his biggest shot at one was a miss).

The team very much liked Dorrell, since they were considering him for OC, so he's also in the "probably staying"category. I haven't seen his name mentioned in any of the OC searches around the league and AFAIK, he hasn't interviewed with anyone, so I don't see why he wouldn't stay.

[MikeO]

Rizzi stopped the bleeding from our special teams, but we really need a whole new philosphy there and someone who wasn't the understudy to the guy who was horrible

[Jim Gray]

I wouldn't throw Rizzi out just because he worked for a guy who was horrible.  I've worked for a few horrible managers/coaches, and usually there's not much you can do about.  I'd hate to be judged for what they did.

I do agree that we need to evaluate Rizzi with a very critical eye.  It is definitely a plus that special teams improved under him, but I want a coach who is going to return Miami's special teams to the elite status we once had, not just "stop the bleeding".

On a side note, are there other coaches that are likely to get the boot now that we have a new OC?  Given the performance of the offense this year, I can't believe that there won't be others getting their walking papers.   

[Jim Gray]

Just updated - RB coach Saxon has been fired, TE coach DeLeone has left for Virginia. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/578979-miami-dolphins-offensive-assistants-james-saxon-george-deleone-leaving-team

Heard a rumor that Rizzi will be retained, but I can't find confirmation of that.

[masterfins]

The Colts let go RB coach Gene Huey, who has coached with Indy for 19 seasons.  Poor RB performance the last couple seasons led to his release.  However, he has tons of experiece and a fresh scenery sometimes works, something for the Fins to look at.

[MikeO]

Just updated - RB coach Saxon has been fired, TE coach DeLeone has left for Virginia. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/578979-miami-dolphins-offensive-assistants-james-saxon-george-deleone-leaving-team

Heard a rumor that Rizzi will be retained, but I can't find confirmation of that.

DeLone left for UCONN (not Virigina). Their offensive coordinator with Pasqualoni. He is the godfather to Pasqualoni's kids and he is a UCONN grad

http://blog.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2011/01/connecticut_coach_paul_pasqual.html

[Jim Gray]

Miami replaced the 2 coaches fired earlier this week.  Replacing Saxon as the RB coach is Jeff Nixon.  He was on the Philadelphia Eagles staff.  I think this is his first stint as the RB coach.  Replacing Marcus as the strength and conditioning coach is Darren Krein.  Krein had two stints with the Seattle Seahawks as the asst strength and conditioning coach, but his job ended there in 2009.  I'm not sure what he's been doing since then.

Miami seems to be giving a lot of young unproven guys a their "big chance" in the NFL.  It will certainly be a big change from the coaching staff that Henning led in 2010.  This looks like a big gamble for Sparano.  I hope it pays off.

http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/dolphins-add-two-coaching-staff

[MikeO]

Dan Campbell was named our TE coach today

He was a "coaching intern" last year for the Fins

[Dave Gray]

Rizzi will stay on as Special Teams Coordinator.
Dave Fipp will take Rizzi's spot as assistant, from San Francisco.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/584775-miami-dolphins-add-dave-fipp-ike-hilliard-to-coaching-staff

[MikeO]

Jeff Darlington reporting the Fins hired Ike Hilliard to be an offensive assistant coach helping with the WR's. But he isn't the WRs coach (as of today)

[Jim Gray]

Unless more changes have been announced, it looks like we have 1 confirmed vacancy, and 3 positions where existing coaches may be replaced. 

[MikeO]

Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post reporting Karl Dorrell has been moved from WR coach to QB coach

So safe to guess Ike Hilliard will now be the official WR coach

[MikeO]

Not to be negative.......but our assistant coaches hires are puzzling at best and confusing. This is the "shake-up" we heard Ross and Sparano talk about? You got to be kidding me?

-A 1st year WR coach
-A 1st yer TE coach
-A QB coach who has spent his whole life as a WR coach or head coach, no experience working with QB's on a full time basis
-An offensive coordinator who's offense was ranked lower than ours last year ( there were only 2)
-A strength and conditioning caoch who wasn't even in the league last year
-We are keeping our Special Teams coach who has like 12 games experience in that role and his unit sucked last year and he learned under the guy we fired

And the sad part is the only decent assistant we got, Nolan.....wanted out but we wouldn't let him.

Heath Evans is a blowhard and why is he even speaking up, nobody cares what he thinks. But he is probably 100% correct. And in my opinion its safe to guess Sparano fears for his job and he doesn't want anyone on his staff who is a threat to replace him mid-season (aside from Nolan really who was already here when this offseason disaster took place). Because we haven't upgraded at all really aside from losing Henning which is addition by subtraction. For a team that is trying to jump start and build an offense you would think we would bring in some guys who have been aroudn the block once or twice and have a resume. Not a bunch of 1st year coaches or moving guys to coaching positions for the first time in their lives

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Not to be negative.......

Really?  Was there a hidden purpose to your post I missed?  Cause it seemed to appear to me that it was quite negative.  And the negativity was intentional. 

As for your analysis...

Basically only three types of assistant coaches available:

1. Inexperienced.  This is the guys first shot in this position.  Might be becoming an OC having been the QB coach or becoming the QB coach after being the assistant to the OC, but it is this guys first time in this position.

2. Experienced, but not so good at it.  Was the linebackers coach somewhere else.  They didn't like him and fired him or didn't renew his contract when it was up cause the other team wanted to move in a different direction. Becomes a linebacker coach on another team.

3. Demotion.  Was a good/great OC.  Got promoted to HC.  Sucked as HC.  Is now going back to being an OC.  E.g. Childress gets hired as a OC or Dave Wannstedt becoming the LB coach for the Bills.

That fourth one that you want:  Proven outstanding track record somewhere else in that specific position -- those guys are pretty rare.  They are either staying where they are or are looking for a promotion.  Granted their are rare exceptions such as Dallas snagging Rob Ryan to be the DC, when he was looking for a HC gig.  But they are rare.  Sean Peyton is not going to quit the Saints to become the QB coach of the Dolphins.  Bill Belichick is not going to quit the Patriots to become the DC of the Dolphins.